Special Report
by Batman Lamp-Writer
Summary: After going missing mysteriously, Danny arrives back home in the middle of a news report. But what horrible secret is he hiding now, and how can Sam help? Updates will be sporadic at best.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Small little one-shot made simply to pass time during a small fit of writer's block in R34P3R a little while ago. Anywayz, here be Special Report!

503(!4 230027

"You're on the air in three… two…." The camera man signaled for them to start, and Sam Manson and Greg Enders began their opening ritual.

"Hello, and welcome to the eleven o'clock news. I'm Gregory Enders—"

"And I'm Samantha Manson," she finished. "Tonight, the story of local high school student and runaway Libby Meyers. After being declared dead two days ago, the police found her trying to hitchhike across the Turnpike. Now we go to Rick Mendez, live at the scene. Rick?"

"And… cut! Nice run, Sam," the cameraman, Will Smitt, said, his green eyes twinkling. "No screw-ups that time!"

"Shut it, Will, before I _make_ you shut it," the black-haired, violet-eyed woman replied.

Greg laughed. "Don't tick her off this week, Will, she's bleedin'."

"God, shut up, both of you! What do I have to do to get you to be quiet? And I swear, Will, if you even _think_ it, I'll kill you."

"Aw, ruin my fun why dontcha, _Sammy!_"

"Every time."

"Back on in five," he said, moving back to his camera as they took their chairs again.

"Thank you, Rick," Greg said as the film began rolling again. "Next, the story of—"

"S—Sam!" a voice gasped, causing everyone to turn toward the now-open door. Sam gaped at the black-haired figure standing there.

"_Danny?_" she exclaimed, standing and helping him to her chair while ignoring the cameras. She sat him down there, finally able to get a good look at him.

He was a _mess_. His shirt was torn, his jeans were ripped, and his cheeks were sunken in. But his eyes were still that bright blue Sam remembered.

"Danny, _what the hell happened to you?_"

"Sam we're live here!" Will reminded her.

She stared at the camera for a second. "Uh, everyone, my good friend from high school, Danny Fenton." 

Danny finally looked around. "Never thought you'd be a _reporter_, Sam. Aren't there too many bright lights?"

Greg and Will laughed. Sam scowled. "I've been _trying_ to get them to switch to candles, but _no_…." She blushed as Will zoomed in on her. "Uh, and now we'll go to Emily Soffer for the next report."

Will cut off the film, turning back to the three people at the table. "So, _who_ is this, Sam?"

"This is Danny, from Casper High. Oh, he and Tucker were my two best friends through school."

"Have you seen Tucker recently?" Danny asked quietly, looking shy now.

"No, I haven't talked with him since… since you left, actually." She turned fully to him. "Why'd you leave?" 

He swallowed. "M—My parents were in a crash. They didn't make it."

She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God, Danny I'm so—"

"There's more," he said grimly.

Will jumped. "Uh, we're back on in five…."

"Dan, don't disappear on me again, okay?"

"I don't disappear anymore, Sam, I just run," he answered as he walked away.

503(!4 230027

Sam looked all over for Danny after they were done. She found him in a corner, sitting with his eyes closed and an arm draped over one knee. She chuckled. "Is our report _really_ that boring?"

"Nope," he answered, eyes still closed, "I'm just really tired. I heard every word, Sam."

"Hn. So 'Clueless One' isn't so clueless anymore?"

"Nope. He's pretty clued-in."

"What did you mean before, about not disappearing?"

Danny's eyes finally opened, he turning away from her.

"Danny?" She moved closer, wondering if she had said something wrong.

"He killed them…."

"Who?"

His shoulders shook as he tried to control his silent sobs. "Vlad. Vlad killed them."

Sam could only stand there in shock as her long-lost friend continued his story.

"Vlad had a ghost fly a jet into the plane we were on. I tried to get to them, but it was too late. The plane had just barely taken off, so it fell quick. The jet disappeared. No one on the ground saw the crash, so they didn't see the jet at all. I was the only one on the plane that lived."

"Oh, _Danny!_" She pulled him into a hug as he slowly calmed down.

"Wh—Wha—What happened after I left?"

"Everyone, they thought you all had moved. Everything was just kind of _gone_ suddenly."

"Vlad got rid of it all."

"The populars were happy, well, except Paulina, 'cause without Fenton, she'd have to rely on _herself_ to find and get at Phantom."

"_Riiiiiiight_."

"Tucker and I kinda fell apart from each other. He hung out with the rest of the tech geeks, and I kinda went loner."

"All because of me."

"No, all because of _Vlad_. The ghosts left. Everyone sorta acted like you—like your family was never real. Like we made everything up."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be, but…. Danny, where'd you go after… after _that?_"

"Vlad's. He took me in and 'cared' for me. I just got out of there recently."

"How recently?"

"Just a few days ago. He only barely fed me, just enough to keep me alive. He—he ripped out Phantom."

Sam gasped, covering her mouth. "When?"

"F—Four, five days ago. The day I left. After he did, I ran. I didn't even wait to see what Phantom did."

"And…?"

"Dan's back. He's been following me for days. I came by here to see if—if I could borrow some money from you."

"However much you need, it's yours. Danny, what are you planning?"

"I'm going to stop Dan again. For _good_ this time."

"Then I'll help!"

"No, it's _my_ job, Sam, and I'm going to do it myself."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Broadcast it. Tell everyone you can exactly what happened. Tell them everything, the _whole_ story. If I—If I can't do it, I want them to know what they're up against."

"Okay. Here—" she pulled out a checkbook and a card. "I'll tell the bank to turn my account over to you. I've got another one. And this is my number. Call me as often as you can."

"I will." He left out the back door, gone forever.

"Good luck, Danny…."

503(!4 230027

"Sam, you ready?" Will asked as she came back the next evening.

"Yeah," she replied dazedly. Danny's command—no, favor—replayed itself in her head.

"Alright, on air in three…."

"Hello, and welcome to the eleven o'clock news. I'm Gregory Enders—"

"A—And I'm Samantha Manson," she stuttered, deciding to complete her task then. "Tonight, a special report. I'm sure you all remember my good friend last night. Well, he informed me of—of an attack to be staged against the whole world. The offender… is none other than Danny Phantom…."

503(!4 230027

A/N: Heh, felt like having some Danny angst that wouldn't fit into R34P3R. Anywayz, there ya go. BYES, Y'ALL!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm continuing this, but don't expect too-frequent updates

A/N: I'm continuing this, but don't expect too-frequent updates. This will be more of a writer's-block-breaking story. So, yeah. Here.

503(!4 230027

"Sam, what was that announcement this evening about?" her boss, Lee Andrews, demanded as Sam entered his office.

_So __**that's**__ why I was called in_, she thought wryly. She sighed. "My friend and I—"

"And about this 'friend' of yours, he just shows up out of nowhere, gives you this news a—and leaves again? Sam, this is a _news station_. People come to us to hear the _truth_, not some mumbo-jumbo thrown together by your psychotic boyfriend!"

"He's _not_ psychotic!"

"So you expect me to _believe_ that he is really _Danny Phantom?_ And not just that, _no_, you want us to cower in fear because his 'ghost-mode' is on the loose? Phantom has been a _help_, an aide to the people, not a menace! Now all of a sudden, he's the _bad guy?_ What is this, some Nick cartoon?"

"Sir, you don't know the whole story—!"

"And, obviously, neither do _you_. What is the number one rule in this organization, Sam?"

She sighed again. "Get the story straight."

"Correct. And rule two?"

"Double check with other witnesses. But, sir—!"

"Did you double check?"

"Sir, I—!"

"_Did you?_"

She huffed, crossing her arms. "No."

"Then how do you_ know_ that this… _Fenton kid_ was telling the truth?"

"Because I know Danny!"

"You _know_ him. That's wonderful. Do you know who _I_ know, Sam? Do you?"

She had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "No, sir. Who do you know?"

"I know politicians. Do politicians tell the truth, Sam?" 

"Of course not, they're _politicians_."

"Exactly. What if this _Fenton_ was lying, huh? How would that affect the people who watch our news cast?"

"They'd get mad and stop watching."

"Right again. Now, tell me, Sam, what good comes from people _not_ watching our news cast?"

"None." 

"You're just on _fire_ today, aren't you?"

"Sir, if you'd just let me explain—!"

"You can 'explain' all you want to our audience tonight. I expect a full apology from you."

"Sir, Danny's telling the truth, and I even gave him the money to get what he needs to stop Phantom."

Andrews glared at her. "How do you know he wasn't just conning you out of the money?"

She ground her teeth.

Andrews took this as a sign he'd won the argument. "Good. Now, if you'll just head out and start filming—"

"No."

"Excuse me, what was that, Samantha?"

"I said, 'no.'"

"Why would you say no?"

"Because I quit."

"_WHAT?_"

"I resign. I am no longer working for you, Mr. Andrews. Frankly, you are a horrible boss, and you should learn to trust people instead of making everyone around you your enemy. Maybe you'll learn _that_ someday. I, however, will take my leave now."

"You. Can't. _Quit_."

"Actually, I can. It's in my contract, as well as my résumé. You see, sir, I am _very_ good at quitting from jobs that I find offensive, impossible to work in, or have immature, sleazy, manipulative bosses. This job is all three. Good day to you, Mr. Andrews."

And with that, she turned and walked out the door.

503(!4 230027

Danny panted, dropping down to the ground on the side of the desert road. He'd been walking a long time since seeing Sam for what would probably be the last time. He was glad he hadn't noticed any town names or street signs when looking for—and finding—her. That meant Dan couldn't get the information from him, saving Sam a bit more time to run.

However, that also meant Danny had no idea where he was. As far as he could see, the road stretched on for miles in either direction before disappearing into the horizon. He couldn't even see a cactus. Tumbleweeds were rare here, too. In fact, the only thing keeping him from thinking he'd stumbled into the Ghost Zone was the lack of green and purple swirls.

But that didn't mean he could stop here. Actually, it meant he had to keep going. Who knew when Dan would show up? And it'd be even worse for him to show up near any sign of civilization, be it a long desert road or suburbs. Danny couldn't take that chance.

So he picked himself up, took a swig of water from his canteen, and kept walking.

503(!4 230027

Sam couldn't _believe_ how hard it was to find a trace of Danny. She asked everyone she saw whether they'd seen him, but none of them had. She was getting worried.

She was just about to give up when she walked past an electronics store. The TV in the window was on, turned to some crime show about serial killers. Suddenly, the show paused and Gregory came on.

"_We interrupt this show for a special news bulletin."_

Sam stopped, spun around, and gasped at the recording they were showing. It was of green lights flashing through the air. Loud, wailing noises could be heard, even over Gregory's report.

"_There seems to be a sudden, monster thunderstorm in Texas. No one is quite sure where it is originating, but the wind and lights can be seen and heard all throughout the state. More on this tonight. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program."_

"_--__If you get within 100 feet of Agent Rossi, I will unleash an unrecoverable virus on your personal computer system that will reduce your electronic world into something in between a Commodore 64 and a block of government cheese. …Call me later."_

"That wasn't a storm," Sam whispered to herself. "…_Danny_…."

503(!4 230027

He couldn't breathe. It wasn't the first time he'd woken up with this problem, and he knew that, if Dan didn't find him today, it wouldn't be the last. He knew that his body, without his ghost half, was crumbling apart. He couldn't survive having a piece of himself ripped out. Unfortunately, he'd had no say in the matter.

It was then that he heard the whooshing noise behind him that meant someone was flying towards him. Instinctively, he ducked and tried to form the ring around his waist. When it didn't appear, he grimaced, remembering his situation. Instead, he was stuck, defenseless, in the middle of a desert lacking a good enough place to hide.

Dan swooped down quickly, tossing Danny into the dirt. His hand flared green as Danny tumbled to a stop, dazed. Dan let loose his blast, and Danny just barely dodged it.

"Huh, straight to the point," he mumbled, jumping over another blast.

"I. Will. _Kill_. You!" Dan growled, releasing a Ghostly Wail.

"Then go ahead!" Danny yelled up to him. "Kill me! Just leave everyone else alone!"

"And _why_ the _hell_ would I do _that?_" More blasts flew, and Danny dodged most of them.

"Because they aren't the ones who abandoned you! That was _me_, all me! And Vlad, but you already got him back." Danny rolled under another blast.

"Sam and Tucker _never_ came after us! They didn't _care!_ They abandoned us, too!"

"They had no idea where we were! I spoke to Sam recently. Her life was _ruined_ after we left! Sam and Tucker aren't friends any more. We were the only thing keeping them together!"

Another burst of green sent Danny rolling as Dan snarled a reply. "_Good._ They ruined _my_ life, it's only fair theirs be ruined, too."

"So I'm the last one. I'm the _only_ one you haven't gotten revenge on. Go ahead, kill me."

Dan smirked. "Oh, no. I've got a _much_ better idea for _you_…."

503(!4 230027

Sam ran to the airport. Once there, she immediately looked for a flight to Texas. Shocked that someone would _want_ to head towards the disaster area, the attendants booked her a ticket to Oklahoma. The flight was quick, and Sam found herself in a different state. She found a car rental and paid for the fastest car they had. Within minutes, she was at the border.

What had been a beautiful, clear sky immediately changed to the "monster storm" everyone was worrying over. It seemed the only thing keeping it contained was Texas' state line. She drove to the nearest town, asking around where the storm was coming from. They pointed her deeper into the center of the state.

After several more of such stops, she found herself on a lone road, seemingly endless, in a barren area. The storm was getting so bad that she could no longer drive. Immediately, she pulled over and ran down the road.

What she saw shocked her. Danny was offering himself up to the ghost, and the ghost was arguing with him. But what shocked her more was how pained Danny looked. Even though very few blasts actually hit him, he was acting like he was bruised all over.

Then, Dan smirked. "Oh, no. I've got a _much_ better idea for _you_…." He swooped down, grabbing Danny and taking off.

Sam gaped. "Danny, _NO!!_"

Her voice disappeared inside the "storm" Dan had created. Five hours later, a passing car found her.

"Miss?" the driver said. "Are you alright? What were you doing out _here?_ Didn't you see the storm?"

Sam jumped at the chance. "Sir, please, you have to take me somewhere!"

"…_What?_"

"I need to follow that storm!"

"Why would you wanna do _that?_"

"My friend—he's in trouble, and I need to follow that storm to find him!"

The driver stared her down, searching her eyes for something. Finding it, he nodded and hooked a finger towards the passenger door. "Get in."

503(!4 230027

A/N: Wow, no planning whatsoever, and it actually _wasn't crap!_ That's a miracle, for me. Anywayz, read and review, plz! BYEZ!


End file.
